McCOIST vented his fury after Arab Trust chairman Steven Hughes said United fans are "nervous from a safety perspective" about travelling to Govan for the semi-final.

ALLY McCOIST last night played down safety concerns of Dundee United fans ahead of next month’s Scottish Cup semi-final at Ibrox.

The Rangers manager is miffed at comments from Tannadice supporters’ groups made during a stormy build-up to the tie on Saturday, April 12.

Arab Trust chairman Steven Hughes has said that some United fans are “nervous from a safety perspective” about travelling to Govan for the game, which has been shrouded in arguments this week between United and SFA chiefs over ticket allocations and venue choice.

McCoist, however, is adamant there is no reason for fan worries and said: “I’d be hopeful that was taken a wee bit out of context. Certainly in this day and age, the one thing you expect is any travelling supporter of any club going to any game would like to sit down and watch it in comfort and safety.

“I would hope that is just about guaranteed in all the stadiums in the country and ours is no different. You want a fantastic atmosphere to create a good tempo and good quality of game.

“Cup ties do generate a better atmosphere generally and I would hope that would be the case against United.”

United chairman Stephen Thompson has called a truce with the SFA over his war of words and McCoist said that there is no bad blood between the clubs.

He added: “I don’t have any animosity. It’s something that, if it is there, I don’t see it as being a major problem at all.

“They would look at it as if they are only fighting their corner, which is fine. With the greatest of respect, their fight is not against us.

“The game will be against us but the problem they have is with tickets and the venue and we are not in control of that, so their fight isn’t with us.

“I can totally understand some of the points put up. I do take on board we are playing a semi-final at Ibrox and that is not to everyone’s cup of tea but the decision to play the game there was taken very early on.

“I think the obvious thing to do is to stick by it.

“At the start of the season, we’d have played a semi-final anywhere. It will only be an advantage if we win the game.

“In the grand scheme of things in the last two years, it’s a very, very small issue.

“I know there was an issue in the cup last year with our travelling fans but I think we, as a club and a team, have got far bigger things to worry about than having a mump and a moan with individual clubs.”